HP May 2025 Current Affairs

State Policies and Cabinet Decisions

• Pashu Mitra Policy-2025: The state cabinet approved the ‘Pashu Mitra Niti-2025’ to fill 1000 posts of Multi-Task Workers (Pashu Mitra) in the Animal Husbandry Department.
• Grant for Stray Cattle: The grant for fodder for cattle in the state’s Gaushalas was increased from ₹700 to ₹1200 per animal per month.
• Recruitment and Regularisation:
  • The cabinet approved filling 700 posts of Home Guard volunteers in the Home Guards and Civil Defence Department.
  • It also approved filling 100 posts of Junior Office Assistant (Library) in the Education Department.
  • The services of 778 part-time water carriers in the Education Department, who completed 11 years of service by March 31, 2025, were regularised.
  • The services of 203 Panchayat Secretaries who completed two years of contract service were also regularised.
• Mukhyamantri Green Adoption Yojana: A new scheme, the ‘Mukhyamantri Green Adoption Yojana’, was approved to facilitate afforestation in degraded forest areas through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
• Deposit Refund Scheme-2025: To manage non-biodegradable waste, the cabinet decided to launch the ‘Deposit Refund Scheme-2025’, under which consumers will pay a refundable deposit on packaged goods like glass and plastic bottles.
• Office Relocation: The Himachal Pradesh Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) office will be shifted from Shimla to Dharamshala.
• Digital Governance: An Aadhaar-based Family Register Survey was initiated to create a digital record of approximately 76 lakh rural citizens.

Social Welfare Schemes

• Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Sukh Samman Nidhi: The scheme was launched from Kullu, transferring ₹4500 (for three months) to 2,238 eligible women in the Banjar block. The scheme provides a monthly pension of ₹1500 to eligible women aged 18 to 59. Domestic workers and daughters of widows are also eligible for the scheme.
• ‘Sarkar Gaon Ke Dwar’: Under this program, Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu stayed overnight at the residence of ex-serviceman Subedar Anup Ram in Sharachi village of Kullu district to address public grievances directly.

Economy and Infrastructure

• Forest Corporation Revenue: The Himachal Pradesh State Forest Development Corporation presented a royalty cheque of ₹41.30 crore to the Chief Minister, earned from the silvicultural felling of Khair and Sal trees.
• Minimum Support Price (MSP):
  • The state government is running a special campaign to register farmers interested in selling naturally grown crops at MSP.
  • The MSP for naturally grown wheat was increased from ₹40 to ₹60 per kg, and for maize, it was increased from ₹30 to ₹40 per kg.
• Hydropower and Infrastructure Projects:
  • The 126 MW Larji Hydroelectric Project, which was completely damaged in the 2023 floods, was fully restored and made operational.
  • A three-storied parking facility, built at a cost of ₹6.5 crore in Tutu, Shimla, was inaugurated.
• Transport Department Revenue: The Transport Department’s income grew by 17% in the financial year 2024-25, and a target of ₹1000 crore has been set for 2025-26.

Honors and Awards

• Gallantry Awards: Two soldiers from Himachal were posthumously honoured: Gunner Nayak Dilbar Khan of Una with the Kirti Chakra, and Havildar Rohit Kumar Negi of Kinnaur with the Shaurya Chakra.
• ‘Jai Hind Sabha’: An event was held in Shimla to honour the soldiers and families of martyrs from the 1962, 1965, 1971, Kargil, and Operation Sindoor conflicts. Financial assistance was provided to the families of martyrs, including ₹30 lakh to the family of Shaheed Subedar Major Pawan.
• Smart Cities India Award-2025: Shimla was honoured with this award under the ‘Innovation in Urban Mobility’ category.

Miscellaneous Current Affairs

1. Adventure Tourism: The 12th edition of the MTB Himalaya cycle race was flagged off from the Ridge in Shimla, featuring over 100 cyclists from across the country.
2. International Booker Prize 2025: Kannada writer Banu Mushtaq won the prestigious award for her collection of short stories, ‘Heart Lamp’.
3. New Chief Justice of India: Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai was appointed as the 52nd Chief Justice of India.